Girl Talk
by BurnThoseEyesBlue
Summary: There's something strange about the new girl at April's school... Between fights with Irma, girl talks with Leo, and her run-ins with this new girl Karai, April's life has been all sorts of crazy lately.
1. Chapter 1

**Surprise, I'm back with another fic I wrote in 2012-13! This was written early in the series, so I guess it's more of an AU (well, scratch that, it's definitely an AU now) where April and Karai end up going to the same high school and become friends before either of them know about the other's involvement with the turtles.**

 **I do not own anything. Texts are meant to be in bold. I hope you all enjoy!**

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"April O'Neil! Get your butt down here! You're gonna be late for school again!" April was jerked from her sleep as her aunt yelled up at her from the bottom of the stairs. "You have ten minutes!"

April groaned, stretching and looking over at her clock. "Crap!" She was going to be late! "I'm gonna kill Leo!" She flew out of bed and stumbled to her dresser, hastily throwing clothes onto her bed trying to find something decent to wear. Leo had come to her place in the middle of last night, starstruck and moony eyed over some foot clan girl. He kept her up all night talking about her, and he never even told her the girl's name! April groaned again and rubbed her eyes.

"Five minutes, April!" her aunt shouted. April flew around her room, throwing a new shirt on and a pair of jeans that she'd only worn once before. She pulled her hair back into her typical ponytail, not even bothering with make-up. She bounded downstairs, grabbing her backpack and slinging it over her shoulder. She shoved a Pop-Tart into her mouth. Her aunt leaned against the counter and groaned. "I swear, April, if your school calls me again to tell me you're late, we're gonna have to have a talk!"

April grinned at her messily, crumbs falling out of her mouth. She knew Aunt Robyn was kidding. (Maybe...) Either way, she didn't have time for that right now, and with a wave, ran out the front door and onto the streets. She ran through the crowds of people; man, don't these tourists know a girl's gotta get to school? Thankfully, it was only a couple of blocks from her aunt's apartment, and she ran inside right after the front gates shut.

She sprinted inside the school and down the hallways, her hair flying everywhere. She burst into her homeroom class, chest heaving. Startled, her classmates looked up, and seeing that it was only her, resumed whatever it was they were doing before. Her teacher, Ms. Hoffman, decided to make a nasally comment.

"You're late, April. Per usual," Ms. Hoffman said, with a look on her face that April decided to count as a sneer. "Go check in with the front office." She groaned, and her teacher raised her eyes at her. "Do not talk back to me, young lady. Go!" April looked at her sullenly as she headed out the door, running a hand through her wayward bangs.

Well, if she was gonna be considered late anyway, might as well make it count, and she threw her backpack into her locker on her way. She stopped to talk to some friends at the water fountain, and finally meandered her way to the office. The secretary smiled knowingly at her, eyes dancing with amusement.

"Hello, April. Late again?" April scowled and nodded. The secretary typed something into her computer, and April sat down in one of the chairs in front. She pulled out her phone to text an early apology to Robyn, and saw she had three missed texts from Irma to distract her instead:

 **April? Where are you?**

 **Girl, you better hurry up.**

 **Ms. Hoffman is in a really bad mood today. Congrats, you're only gonna make it worse!**

April couldn't help but smile a little at them. Irma was her best friend... aside from the guys, of course. But lately Irma had been acting kinda strangely - sitting with different people, ignoring her calls, and she didn't really know why. It was true she was a little bit busier than she used to be, but she was still making time for her. She shook her head and decided to text back:

 **Calm down. I'm in the office now. Ms. Hoffman will just have to deal** , she sent. Now she was gonna give Leo a piece of her mind! She typed out a long, drawn out message in all caps and sent it. There. Maybe then they'd realize not everyone was practically nocturnal like them. She huffed and crossed her arms.

"Well," a voice laughed in front of her. "Looks like he must've done something pretty bad."

In her haste to chew Leo out, she hadn't even noticed this girl come and sit down in the seat across from her. She had cropped black hair, with a few longe tendrils that framed her face, with some heavy red eye makeup. She w. as skinny and tall, and had piercings up both of her ears. She was decked out in all black and was looking at April with a cross between a sneer and a smirk on her face.

"Just kept me from getting any sleep last night," she replied, turning off her phone and shoving it back down into her pocket. She took in the girl's face. _Must be new..._ "I'm April," she said.

"Karai," the girl said.

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 **Be sure to R &R! :) **


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's the next installment! Enjoy!**

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The Week Before -

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Karai hesitated outside her father's throne room, one hand resting on the handle. She hated this room; it was always too dark and cold, and she didn't appreciate her father sneering down at her from the shadows. Her grip tightened on the knob, and she took a deep breath before swinging the door open. She blinked, doing her best to make her face impassive, and she swaggered in to the middle of the room, bowing down on one knee.

"Karai," her father boomed. She met his gaze, two glittering eyes in the dark.

She bowed her head. "Yes, Father?"

"I have received word that the Turtles have an ally on the surface," he said, and she jerked her head back up.

"Have they infiltrated us?" she asked, and he laughed coldly, mockingly. She ducked her head again, and he continued. "You have a new assignment. You will be spying at the nearest public high school for the Purple Dragons. You need to seek out the Turtles' ally and befriend them, earning their trust and getting information."

Karai blinked, not sure she heard that correctly. " _School?_ " she said, her impassive look cracking. "No way you're serious! Can't you send in the Foot soldiers?"

"You will," he replied, in a tone that spoke no arguing. "I do not have as much faith in the average Foot ninja as I do in you."

"But-" Karai started.

"Enough," The Shredder said coldly, helmet glinting. "You are dismissed."

Karai stared up at him, mouth hanging open. "I understand." She shut it firmly and nodded, straightening up and stalking out of the throne room. She threw open the doors, and the Foot ninja on guard out front jumped, hastily scurrying out of her way.

 _School?_ she thought to herself, scowling. _What the hell am I supposed to do at school?_

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Present Day -

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"Karai," April repeated, tasting out the name. "That's a nice name."

"It's Japanese," Karai replied shortly, looking at the her nails.

April's eyes lit up. "I have some friends who are Japanese," she said. Karai looked at her with one raised eyebrow and didn't bother to respond. April felt her cheeks begin to flush, and the awkward silence continued.

 _This is already sucking my will to live_ , Karai thought to herself, trying to ignore the girl - _April_ , she thought with a sneer - and her rude staring. She mentally cursed the turtles for getting her into this mess.

"Karai Oroku?" The secretary called out. Karai looked down her nose at her, and the secretary's smile dimmed slightly. "Here is your schedule and locker combination. Right now it's homeroom, so your teacher will give you a rundown of the day when you arrive." Karai nodded and took the offered schedule, staring down at it. The secretary tried again, "It is always so nice to have an exchange student. I hope you have a good day!" Karai pressed her lips into a firm line and walked off.

The secretary looked a little flustered at Karai's lack of response, and she straightened up some things on her desk, face falling. April felt a little bad for her, so when she looked over at her, April gave her a nice smile. The secretary returned it. "April, you can go back now, too. And don't worry, I'll take this one off your record."

"Thanks!" April said, feeling her smile grow. It was a good thing she never got around to texting Robyn in the first place. She decided to go hurry and catch up with Karai, but when she turned the corner, she was already gone.

 _Huh,_ April thought, a little disappointed. _Maybe she runs track or something._ She trudged down the hallway, dreading going back to Hoffman's classroom. She walked as slowly as she could, rounding another corner and skidding to a stop. Karai was standing in the doorway, practically being interrogated by Ms. Hoffman. Karai barely spared her a glance, but Ms. Hoffman turned and looked at her with an annoyed expression.

"Look who finally decided to show up," Ms. Hoffman said, unimpressed. The class snickered as she stomped to her seat, sitting in her usual spot next to Irma.

"I hate that woman," she muttered to Irma, sinking down in her seat and avoiding her classmates' stares.

Irma snickered, pushing her glasses up her nose. "Don't worry, she obviously hates you, too." April made a face, and Irma's expression shifted slightly.

April narrowed her eyes. "What?"

"Well aren't you going to tell me why you had to bail on me again last night?" Irma said, and April mentally groaned, wanting to slam her head down on the desk. "Was it your new group of friends again?" She sneered on the word friends, and April flashed her an annoyed look, not in the mood for this conversation.

"Yes, actually, it was," April retorted. "Don't have to be so jealous, Irma."

Irma snorted, playing with a lock of her hair. "Yeah, and I have plenty of other friends. I don't have to _hang_ out with you."

April blinked, feeling a little hurt. "Fine!" she snapped, feeling her hackles rise and getting defensive. "Then go hang out with your other friends then!"

"Fine!" Irma snapped back, hurt flashing across her eyes before it was replaced by anger. "Maybe I will!" She gathered up her books and marched over to the group of girls sitting on the other side of the room. That welcomed her in, scooting to make room for her, and all shot daggers at April.

April wanted to hit something. This just in; worst. day. ever. Irma smirked at her from across the room, and she scowled back. She felt someone poking her arm and whipped around.

"What?" she hissed.

"Look, sheesh." The boy behind her didn't even look phased. He just pointed to the front of the room, where Ms. Hoffman was standing with her arms crossed. Karai stood next to her, a bored look on her face.

"Are you with us, April?" Ms. Hoffman said, a slightly sarcastic look on her face. She shook her head, and Ms. Hoffman sighed. She pointed to Irma's now-empty seat. "You can sit there for now. I'd offer you a better seat, but there are no other open spots." April's scowl deepened, and she heard Irma laugh loudly from the other side of the room. Karai walked over, setting her things down.

April thumped her head down on her desk as the bell rang for first period. Karai looked up at the ceiling with a look of disdain, sighing as she picked up her things again. "I hate school," she muttered under her breath.

April snorted, and Karai looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Get in line."

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 **By the way, in this AU, Irma is human. R &R!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Just rewatched TMNT 2007 tonight. Man, I love that movie so much. Also, the song "Girl Almighty" by OneDirection has been stuck in my head from writing this fic. Go listen to it! It's a fantastic song.**

 **Enjoy.**

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"So," April said, trying to break the awkward silence between her and Karai. Karai looked at her schedule, and seeing that her first period was in Ms. Hoffman's class, and how apparently April's was too, she groaned. "You're a transfer student? Where are you from?"

Karai blew out a deep breath, rocking her chair back on its two hind legs. She stuck her feet on the table. "I'm from Japan," she said sullenly.

April looked at her feet, up to her face, and back to her feet. She scowled and swatted at Karai's legs. "Put your feet down!" she looked at Karai like she was the scum of the Earth. "That's disgusting," she promptly informed her.

Karai clenched her jaw, but did as April said and put her feet down. "Goody-goody," she muttered, low enough so only April would hear her. She crossed her arms and angled her body away from April, daring her with her body language to just try and start the conversation up again.

April, taking the hint, moved her books as far from Karai as their table would allow. _What's this girl's problem?_ she thought to herself. _She's so unfriendly._ She tried to stare at her out of the corner of her eye.

Karai noticed the staring and rolled her eyes. _What an idiot. She thinks I don't notice. Pathetic._ April scowled, and Karai mirrored it. Each held their gaze for a few moments until April couldn't take it anymore and bust out laughing.

"What's so funny?" Karai was confused. She hadn't even done anything, so what was she laughing at? "You know, I don't appreciate people laughing at me." Her scowl deepened, and that just made April laugh harder.

"Nothing," April made out between giggles. "You just remind me of a guy I know, that's all."

"Whatever," she muttered. Karai was unnerved, and slightly annoyed, too; who did this girl think she was? Too bad she didn't have her swords to prove her a lesson.

April slowly stopped laughing. She saw the look on Karai's face and knew she'd made a mess of things. "He's nice! He's a good guy, don't worry."

This infuriated Karai even more. "Have you ever thought that I may not be a good girl?" she hissed.

April blinked, looking a little shocked. The expression slid into a more thoughtful one. "Nah," she said. "I don't think you're as bad as you pretend to be."

Karai stiffened. That's exactly what Leonardo said to her last night.

April noticed her freeze. "Did I say something?"

Karai tried to cover her tracks. After all, how many people would know a giant mutant ninja turtle? "Of course not," she scoffed. "Why would you think that?"

April pressed her lips into a line, looking unconvinced. Karai felt her frustration bubble up again.

"Seriously!" Karai snapped. "When will you take a hint? You're annoying me, and I don't want to be friends. Leave me alone!" She scooted as far from April as the table would allow, shooting her her most intimidating glare.

April looked at her, lower lip trembling. She sighed, avoiding her gaze and staring down at the table. _First Irma, now the new girl,_ April thought bitterly. She was just trying to be nice! _Oh no,_ she thought with growing horror, _what if the boys don't like me either?_

Karai could tell she hit a nerve and tried to ignore the tiny blossom of guilt that sprung in her chest. The bell rang for class to start, and neither of them spoke another word.

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April spent the rest of the day horrified about whether the boys were faking their friendship or not. She did gain a small bit of confidence, however, when she remembered Donnie's crush on her. But what about the others? Leo? Raph? Even Mikey?

When the afternoon bell rang, April hightailed it out of the school. She ran to the sewers and threw herself down the manhole cover, making sure nobody watched her go. She sprinted to the lair and stumbled upon four lazy turtles.

"Oh, hey April!" Donnie greeted her, glancing up from his laptop and giving her a great gap-toothed grin. Raph grunted in her direction, more focused on his push-ups, and Mikey waved, hand holding as many water balloons as he could hold and aim at Raph's shell at a time.

Leo was watching _Space Heroes_ , but when April stormed in, he tried to sneak out with a very nervous look on his face. He'd gotten her angry texts, all right.

"Leonardo!" she called out, making him freeze in his tracks. "Get your shell over here now!" His brothers gaped as she grabbed his arm and pulled him along with her back to the sewer tunnels.

"Ooooh," Mikey crooned. "Somebody's in troubleeee!" He launched his water balloons right as they walked out. April could hear Raph's roar as his shell was soaked, and the resulting tussle that followed.

"Please, April, let me go," Leo begged. She dropped his arm and glared at him.

"I have two questions for you," she said, "and I want your honest answer for both."

Leo gulped. This wasn't going to be good...

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 **R &R!**


	4. Chapter 4

**This chapter was a blast typing up!**

 **Enjoy, and be sure to leave a review!**

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"Two questions," April growled again. "First, what were you even thinking last night? A Foot clan girl? Seriously, Leo? What would your brothers say?"

Leo blinked. This is what she wanted to talk about? He already told her about some of it last night. "I know, I know," he said, crinkling his beak. "They'd laugh. And Splinter would absolutely _kill_ me."

"Did you kiss her?"

"April!" Leo gasped, shocked. His cheeks flushed. "We just met, ew."

"Why did she want you to go to the Byerly Building?"

Leo shuffled his feet. "She showed me some katanas on display in a store, and then told me they were mine if I joined the Foot."

"WHAT?"

"I told her no! Don't worry, Ape." He put his hand on her shoulder. "Now, what was your other question?"

April's shoulders slumped, all of her anxiety and absolutely crumbling self-esteem flooding back. Leo's girl talk was a nice distraction, but this was really why she was here.

"April?" Leo repeated, looking a little concerned.

"Do you guys dislike me?" She spoke so softly Leo could barely hear her, and she wouldn't meet his gaze.

"Do we... hate you?" Leo repeated, looking shocked. "No, April! Why would you ever think that?"

April looked down in shame. "Multiple reasons," she admitted. She hoped that was all she would have to say, but one quick peek at Leo told her he was obviously waiting for her to continue, and she sighed. "Irma and I got into a fight today, and then this new girl said she wondered how I even had friends and all this other crap." She threw her hands up in the air, frustrated. "I don't even know her! She doesn't know me, either."

"I don't know why she would say that to you," Leo said. He pulled her into a hug. "But April, you're like a sister to us! Of course we like you." April could feel some of the weight on her shoulders dissipate, and her shoulders lightened up.

"Hey April, do you want to play- WHOA!" Mikey bounded into the sewers, and stumbling upon the two of them embracing, skidded to a stop. He blinked, eyes growing huge, and Leo shoved April off of him. Mikey's face split into a huge grin, and he catcalled. "Dude, Donnie would be so mad if he saw you right now. I better go get him." He turned around and ran smack into Raph's chest, falling over.

Raph's face was as surprised as Mikey, and soon it transformed into a devious expression. "Don is so going to kill you," he said, cackling. Donnie pushed his way past Raph, not wanting to miss anything, and almost tripped over Mikey on the ground. "Well, speak of the devil," he continued, smirk growing. Both April and Leo turned as red as her hair.

"What's going on? I thought we were about to go play Mario Kart?" Donnie asked, oblivious to Raph's and Mikey's snickers.

"I dunno, Donnie," Raph said, goading. He slung an arm over Donnie's shoulders. Or, he tried. He fell a little short. "Ask Leo."

"Yeah, April... why don't _you_ tell Donnie here." Mikey used Raph to pull himself up and leaned on him, already howling.

Snickering, Raph dragged Mikey back into the lair, throwing a devious look over his shoulder. "Yeah, we'll leave you lovebirds to work everything out." He was howling with laughter even louder than Mikey.

Donnie frowned, watching them go. He turned back to Leo and April, still awkwardly standing apart. "What's going on?" He took in their heated faces and stiff stances, and his face fell. "Oh - were you guys doing what I think you were doing?" His face shone with shock, hurt, disbelief, and then he visibly gagged. "I think I'm gonna be sick."

"Donnie, no!" April said, blushing furiously. Leo gagged too, doing his best to avoid her pleading look to help explain.

"Oh," Donnie said, and now his face heated. "Then, uh, what was going on?"

Leo stiffened. April could tell him all about Karai now, and there was nothing he could do to stop it. He hastily tried to make eye contact, but April's full focus was on Donnie.

April did some quick thinking, not wanting to betray Leo that way. "Uh, he was just informing me that you guys were still trying hard to find my dad. He didn't want me crying out there or anything."

Donnie's face relaxed with understanding, totally not remembering that April was the one to seek Leo out when she ran into the lair. "I understand completely," he said with earnest. "Yes, don't worry a bit, April. I'm not giving up the search anytime sooner." He patted her on the head and walked back into the lair, a goofy grin on his face.

Leo looked at April, a sheepish grin on his face. "He means well. You were the first girl we've ever met."

"I know, I know," April sighed. She started trudging back to the lair, and Leo jogged to catch up.

"Thanks for... you know... not letting my secret out to my bros," Leo said. "I mean, Raph already knows. But I just don't think that Donnie and Mikey would get it." He paused, making a face. "Especially Mikey."

April grinned. "I don't know, he seems to know a little more about girls than he lets on."

Leo sighed. "It's all the MTV he watched as a kid," he said. He stopped just in front of the lair, a strange look on his face.

April jerked back too. "What? What's wrong?"

Leo gave her a funny look. "Nothing. Just get ready for some more teasing."

April groaned, rolling her eyes. She took a step into the lair, and was immediately bombarded by Raph and Mikey.

"Is Leo a good kisser?" Raph teased.

"Ohh," Mikey made kissing noises, getting up in Leo's face. Leo pushed him away, rolling his eyes.

"Kiss me, Leo!" Raph said, batting his eyelashes and doing a poor job of imitating April's voice.

Leo smirked, and Raph narrowed his eyes, backing away. But it was too late - Leo smirked as he threw an arm around Raph's neck and placed a huge, wet kiss on his temple.

"Ugh, gross!" Raph said, scowling and pushing Leo away. Mikey cackled.

April rolled her eyes and blew past them, walking to go join Donnie on the couch, the only sane one. _Boys will be boys,_ she thought.

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 **I really want feedback on this fic! I** **haven't gotten very much, and I'm curious to know what you guys think.**

 **R &R!**


	5. Chapter 5

April actually made it on time to school the next day. She was exhausted, but hey, she was on time! Stupid Raph and Mikey - they teased her all night long about her "talk" with Leo.

"Of course it was just a talk," Raph crooned. "A talk. A long, private talk."

"What did you guys talk about? I bet it was gooood," Mikey laughed and high-fived Raph. And that was a pretty good summation of her entire night.

April yawned at her desk. Right now she had to finish her homework. She pulled out her math textbook and dutifully began writing down problems, wishing she'd asked Donnie for help earlier. The classroom door flew open and hit the wall with a bang. April glanced up, only to see it was Karai with a sour look on her face as she made her way to her desk.

 _Crap,_ April cursed mentally. _She's here today._ April moved her binders out of Karai's spot, and Karai nodded, setting her own stuff down in its place. _What if she feels bad about what she said? After all, she doesn't have any other friends. I'll keep being nice to her. She'll come around._ Satisfied with her plan, April flashed a grin at Karai.

Karai frowned. _Ugh, can't this girl take a hint?_

"So," April said, and Karai mentally groaned. "Since you're new and all, I decided I'll give you tips on how to survive this torture called high school."

"This isn't torture," Karai said bitterly. "Sure, it sucks, but it isn't torture."

April looked surprised, and blinked a couple of times rapidly. "Uh, oh-kayy," she said, giving her a look that said she thought she was crazy. "Moving on. Welcome again to this... apparently non-torturous place. First thing you gotta know is Ms. Hoffman might be the worst teacher on the planet. She doesn't even teach, and instead she just snoops in everyone's business. I hate her."

Karai looked a little amused at that. "So, she'll be trying to learn about my tragic backstory then?"

April nodded solemnly. "You bet. I've managed to hold it off so far, though. Anyway, next tip: lunchroom food sucks! Except for, you know, the crinkle fries, tater tots, and anything not made in the kitchen." April shuddered. "Never get steak nuggets."

"Why not?" Karai asked, a little curious.

April turned green. "You don't even want to know. But next, don't rig your locker. Some kids-"

"Should I be writing this down? Or crocheting it onto a pillow?" Karai interrupted sarcastically, raising an eyebrow.

April narrowed her eyes. "Go crochet it. It'll last a lot longer, and I think you need all the help you can get." April replied just as sarcastically, and Karai scowled.

"What is your problem?" Karai asked.

"I don't have a problem," April retorted. "It's yours. You see, just because I can be nice to people doesn't mean I have a problem." Karai's glare deepened, and April smiled sweetly. "So I'm going to be nice to you."

Karai rolled her eyes. "That's your prerogative, I guess. Do whatever; I don't care."

April's smirk grew. "I know." Karai sank into her seat, knowing April had gotten the upper hand this time.

The rest of the morning passed fairly easily. April chattered to Karai all about the school, tips, and everything even remotely related. Karai acted bored the entire time, but she was actually interested.

 _Maybe this April girl isn't so bad after all_ , she thought grudgingly to herself, trying not to smile as April beamed at her, blue eyes wide.

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 **I know it's short, but please R &R! I haven't gotten much feedback on this fic, either :( **


	6. Chapter 6

**This chapter is for snowfun... thanks for reviewing, and I hope you like it!**

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Karai juggled her lunch tray in one hand and her backpack in the other. She paid for lunch, using one of her father's shiny little credit cards, and strutted through the lunchroom. She kept her head held high, ignoring the staring and gaping from her peers as she walked on by.

"Wow!"

"Who is she?"

"Dude, she's _so_ your type!"

"She's that new student! What's her name again?"

"How am I supposed to know? I'd let her kick my ass, though, I can tell you that much!"

Karai rolled her eyes and kept on walking. She didn't have time to have someone else drooling all over her.

"Hey Karai! Wait up!" Karai felt a hitch in her step, but kept on walking, ignoring April's call. However, a loud crash did get her attention, and she turned around.

April was sprawled out amidst a splatter of spaghetti and salad on the lunchroom floor. Karai noticed someone swiftly tuck their foot back under the table - that annoying looking girl in her math class who shot them glares the whole period. The girl, whoever she was, pushed her glasses up her nose and laughed. April's face was bright red with embarrassment, and she sat up, trying to wipe sauce off her face and only successfully smearing it more. The entire lunchroom had grown quiet at the fall, but it immediately erupted in laughter.

Karai turned back around. April wasn't her friend; she didn't have friends. So why did she feel so guilty? She hesitated and turned back to look at April. April was gathering her tray up, face turning purple now, and lower lip trembling. Karai groaned to herself, knowing she would never be able to live this down. She stormed over to April and put her hands on her hips, facing the girl who tripped her.

"Why would you do that?" she sneered, and April looked up, seemingly surprised to see Karai standing over her. "Only cowards wouldn't fight. Do you have no honor?"

The girl tried to sneer back, but the slight widening of her eyes told Karai all she needed to know. She was scared of her, and oh, that was going to make Karai's day that much better. "April has no real friends," she said, sticking her nose in the air. The rest of the girls at the table giggled, and April's shoulders slumped.

Karai planted one hand on the lunch table and leaned in close to her ear. "I'm her friend," she whispered, wishing she could see her face change. "If you mess with her, you'll have to answer to me. And I really, really, am not a coward." Karai leaned back, watching in satisfaction as the girl shrank back in fear, eyes the size of dinner plates.

Karai turned around towards April, seeming like she was done, but then whirled around and slapped the girl. Her glasses flew across the floor and skittered to a stop. The lunchroom grew quiet again, watching with wide eyes.

"Who's next?" Karai snarled. When nobody dared breath a word, she finally walked back over to April.

"Wh-" April started, but Karai cut her off.

"Get up," she snapped, probably a bit meaner than necessary, but April scrambled to her feet, eyes wide and watching Karai with newfound curiosity. "Let's go." Karai walked out of the lunchroom, nose in the air, with April by her side. She herded her in the bathroom and pushed her towards the sinks, leaning against the wall. She examined her nails, trying to avoid April's attempts to make eye contact with her in the mirror.

She did look up when she heard a small sob. April ducked her head, but Karai did get a glimpse of tears.

 _Oh no_ , she groaned internally. She wasn't good with tears. Her father hadn't tolerated them, and now neither did she.

"Irma's right," April said, sniffing a little. She dotted at her shirt with some paper towels, trying to get rid of the red stains. "I don't have any human... er, any _other_ friends." April ducked her head again, mentally beating herself up for her slip. Hopefully Karai wouldn't notice.

Karai really didn't know what to do. She'd never been good with other girls and feelings in general, and... wait, human? She filed that away for later.

"Uh... I guess I'm your friend now," Karai said, finally meeting her gaze in the mirror.

April raised an eyebrow. "You're only saying that because I'm covered in pasta and crying," she said sarcastically.

Karai snorted. "Do I look like the type of person who would slap a random girl in the lunchroom for no reason?"

April remained suspiciously silent. _Yes_ , she was silently screaming. Karai rolled her eyes.

"Fine." Karai hesitated, wondering just how much she should tell April. "No, I've never really had friends. My father is... incredibly overbearing, to say the least. I was isolated as a child and focused on my... studies. I just moved to New York. You're probably the second friend I've made her, probably had ever." Karai cringed, hating every moment of this heart to heart.

April blinked, eyes wide, but hey, she was no longer crying. "Second?" she said. "Who was the first?"

Karai waved her hand dismissively. "They don't go here, if that's what you're wondering she said." April blinked, waiting for her to continue, and she sighed. "It's a... guy I met."

April's eyes lit up. "A guy? Tell me all about him!"

Karai groaned audibly this time. "Seriously? I tell you that I have no friends and you focus on the one guy I mention?" April giggled a little, shrugging her shoulders. Karai rolled her eyes. "He had really pretty blue eyes," she admitted, and April grinned at her. "Don't get too cocky there, Red," Karai said, crossing her arms. The light tone in the bathroom shrunk a little. "It'll never work out."

"But-"

"No, I mean _never_."

April looked back down at the sink and turned off the water, the conversation officially over. Karai stood there awkwardly.

"Well," April said, looking down at her shirt. "I guess this is good enough."

Karai looked at her in disdain. "I don't think you got any of it off," she said.

April rolled her eyes. "I don't have time to stand her and scrub it off," she said. "I have history next period. Mrs. Ryan is nice, but not that nice." She looked at Karai with a softer expression. "I just wanted to say thanks. For you know. Telling Irma off. Even though you're probably going to get expelled now and I'll never see you again."

 _Irma,_ Karai mentally filed that name away. She shook her head. "Don't thank me. That was a one time deal," she warned. "And I won't get expelled. Believe me." No, her father would pull some strings, but she would definitely be in for it when she got home.

April grinned at her. "I told you that maybe you were nicer than you try to appear." She walked closer and brushed her shoulder. "And if it makes you feel better, I like a guy, too," she confessed. "It also isn't going to work out, so you're not alone." Karai's mind started to race.

The bell rang, making them both jump.

"I'll see you later?" April asked. Karai nodded, and they both walked their separate ways.

 _No human friends... a guy she likes but it'll never work out..._ Karai ignored the frightened glances thrown her way from the other kids and hummed a little in thought. _Maybe there's more to this April O'Neil than meets the eye..._

* * *

 **Uh oh, Karai's starting to figure it out! R &R! **


	7. Chapter 7

**This right here is a fun** **chapter! And it's dedicated to chandrakantya, my other reviewer, and who nicely pointed out how much she liked Karai's and April's developing friendship. Thanks for your encouragement! I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

April and Karai had three out of seven class periods together a day, and as much as Karai hated to admitted, it was nice to have a friend to talk to with absolutely no connection to the Foot, her father, ninjutsu, or the turtles.

(Well, the ruling was still out on that last one, but for the sake of her sanity, she was very intent on keeping those worlds separate for as long as possible).

But they had Calculus, PE, and English together, and those three periods were probably the highlight of Karai's weekday. Not that she's ever tell that to April, but she kinda assumed she knew. High school was a breeze and much needed break compared to the training and practice her father expected her to keep up with, and PE was Karai's favorite class to go to. April, not so much.

"I'm just saying," April said, pulling on her tennis shoes in the locker room, "nobody in their right mind likes gym class the best."

"Who said I was ever in my right mind?" Karai grinned at her darkly, bouncing up and down in place. She slammed the door to her locker shut, impatiently waiting for April to get finish getting ready. Karai refused to change in front of the other girls for two reasons: one, from not wanting to let her defenses down and be that vulnerable (she could and has fought while been in partial states of undress, but it was definitely not her favorite), and two, because the last thing she needed was for someone to see the remnants of the... talking-to her father had given her the other night for almost getting suspended. It was always April that took forever.

April rolled her eyes. "So you keep telling me." She stood up, and they walked out to the gym, lining up to wait for class to start.

"Funny," Karai said, bending down into a deep stretch. "Maybe one day you'll finally believe me."

"Sure," April snorted, "when pigs fly." She giggled, and Karai gave her a small smile, rolling her eyes.

"Okay, class," the bell rang, and their gym teacher walked up, hands on her hips. "Today we're going to be playing dodgeball."

The rest of the girls in their class cheered, and April grinned widely. "Great, I love dodgeball!"

"What is it?" Karai asked, eyebrow raised. She watched, unamused, as half the class scampered out to the other side of the gym, lining up a line of soft, squishy balls on the middle court line.

"You run forward, grab a ball, and try to hit someone on the other team!" April's smile grew as she tightened her ponytail. "It's fun, I promise! Just don't get hit, or you're out. Catch a ball, if you can."

Karai gave her an unimpressed look. "Sure," she muttered. April ignored her, eyes focused on the row of balls. "So, when do we-"

The coach blew her whistle, and without warning, April took off sprinting for the line of dodgeballs. Karai watched, eyes wide, as April gave a battle cry and hurled the ball across the room. The ball hit a blonde girl in the shoulder, and she made a face before going to sit on the sidelines. A ball whizzed by her head, and she blinked, definitely not prepared for the level of ferocity coming from the other girls in this game.

"OROKU!" the gym teacher bellowed, blowing her whistle. "Are you just gonna stand there, or are you gonna play?" April turned and glanced back, grinning at Karai's call out.

"Yeah, Karai," April teased as she jogged back to stand with her. "Are you just gonna stand there, or are you going to play?" She held two balls in her hand and shoved one into Karai's, a wide grin on her face.

Karai tossed it in her hands lightly, then immediately pelted it into some girl's stomach on the other side of the room. The girl doubled over, the breath knocked out of her, and one of her friends laughed and helped her to the sidelines.

"Wow!" April's eyes were wide. "Nice shot!"

Karai shrugged. "Beginner's luck," she said, grinning a tad sadistically. She was beginning to like dodgeball. That was all the encouragement she needed, because after that she was in the front and pelting the other team, dodging, catching, and grinning the whole time.

Until she was hit in the leg. And by _Irma_ of all people.

The coach blew her whistle, pointing for her to walk out, and Karai stomped over, scowling. Irma laughed and pointed at her from the other side of the room. Karai slumped down by April, who was already out, someone having caught her ball earlier in the game. She rested her chin in her hand, eyes dancing as she watched Karai's frustrated emotions play out on her face.

"That was stupid of me," Karai snarled. "I wasn't paying attention." _Father would kill me if he knew I was bested by an untrained nerd of all people,_ she thought grimly to herself.

April laughed a little. "Whoa, competitive much?" Karai balled her hand up into a fist and thumped it into her thigh. "Just get her out next round."

Karai perked back up again. "We have another round?" She sneered in Irma's direction, pleased when the girl stopped laughing and looked properly cowed.

"Look, Mona just got her out," April said, pointing. Mona, a pretty girl with curly brown hair tied up with a pink scrunchie, jumped up and down, having caught Irma's ball and officially ending the game. Her friends surrounded her, cheering and patting her on the back excitedly.

"Great," Karai said, bouncing back up. "Let's go again!" She grimaced, feeling the bruise on her side pull, and tried to rub at it. Her father always knew best where to leave a mark that would bother her for weeks until it healed.

April stood up and eyed her. "You good?" she asked, starting to head over to their side of the gym.

Karai blinked. "Yeah," she said slowly, mind racing to think of an excuse. "Tripped down the stairs."

April winced sympathetically. "Yeah, I've done that a time or two," she said. Karai forced her face to look neutral, but on the inside her emotions were in turmoil.

"O'Neil! What do you think you're doing?" The coach said as they took their same place.

April gave her a funny look. "Lining up?"

The coach pointed to the other side. "Nuh-uh. We're switching it up."

"But-"

The coach blew her whistled, and April unwillingly trudged to the other side of the room, as far from Irma's clique as possible. She made a face at Karai, and Karai grinned darkly back at her.

The coach blew the whistle to signal the start of the game, and this time Karai took off like a light, ending up in the middle at the same time as April. She grabbed two balls, and so did April, a huge grin on her face.

"Don't think I'm gonna take it easy on you, Red," Karai said, eyes flashing.

April's eyes narrowed, and she flashed Karai an equally devious grin. "I expect nothing less," she said and scampered back, further away from the middle line and back to the safer areas.

It was like a dance. April would throw something and get someone out on Karai's side, who would retaliate, and then throw a ball at April, who would duck. And vice versa. Karai watched April. She moved with a sort of grace, a fluidity that Karai had never seen in the average teenager. It was the tell that April herself may have had a little bit of training. Karai filed that piece of info into the back of her brain, more focused on the task at hand. The process repeated itself until only Karai and April were the only ones left on their respective teams.

"Give it up, Red," Karai taunted, brandishing the ball casually. "You're never going to get me out."

April's grin was just as wide. "Please," she said. "Try me!"

Well, okay, if you're asking for it.

Karai threw the ball, and April reflected it, bouncing it off with the ball in her hands. Her feet slid into a familiar pose, and Karai squinted a bit.

 _That's the footwork of a kata!_ she thought to herself, recognizing it instantly. Her eyes grew wide as she added it to her mental list of evidence against April. Her suspicions about April having been trained started to come together even more. She was so busy thinking that she almost missed April throwing her ball at her, and on instinct, she flipped backwards and caught it, single-handedly winning the game.

April's arm slowly lowered, eyes wide, as she watched Karai's team circle up around her and yell in excitement. Even the coach walked over, looking grudgingly surprised.

"I'll admit, Oroku, that was some pretty fancy footwork," she said, clapping Karai firmly on the shoulder. "You ever thought about trying out for the gymnastics team?"

Karai shook her head, and the coach nodded. "Maybe you should. Tryouts are next week after school. I hope I'll see you then." She walked off, and April bounded up.

"Dude! That was awesome!" April said, admiration obviously sketched across her face. "I'm not even mad you got me out, because that was badass!"

Karai could feel her cheeks turn a little red, not really used to the praise and feeling really uncomfortable with this whole situation. "Thanks," she said shortly.

April didn't seem to notice. "Where'd you learn to do that? That's awesome!"

Karai thought for a moment, wondering what exactly she should make up this time. "I did karate in Japan," she said rather lamely.

April looked off in the distance, starry eyed. "Man, I wish I could do that. I have some friends who can do stuff like that, too, and it's awesome." Snapping back into it, she blinked and looked at Karai. "Well, I guess I better be changing. I'll see you in English," she said, and turned to trot off into the dressing room.

Karai stood alone in the middle of the gym, thoughts roaring loudly in her ears.

* * *

 **Karai is _reeealllyyy_ starting to put it all together now. R&R!**


	8. Chapter 8

Karai couldn't focus. It was English class, a class she generally enjoyed, and another one she shared with April, but her mind wouldn't stop racing. All of the clues about April were coming together, and she wasn't sure what she wanted to do.

On one hand, her father would actually kill her if she didn't report back that she found the turtles' friend, but on the other... April was her friend now, too. At least kinda. Maybe more so on April's side, but Karai did enjoy her company.

She looked over at April reading her textbook and looking blissfully unaware of Karai's inner turmoil, and jealously curled sharp in her gut.

But April didn't have to be the turtles' friend. Maybe she _was_ a Foot soldier, just one in such an incredibly low rank that she and Karai would never have interacted before. It wouldn't be the first time her father sent someone to spy on her. She felt better, for a moment, but it was soon replaced by a jarring sensation of betrayal and unease. Karai didn't know if April being a spy would be better or worse. It would mean she wasn't the enemy, but it would also mean that their friendship was all a lie.

... Definitely worse. Karai was already running low on friends, and she wasn't quite sure how she'd handle that betrayal.

April reached up and scratched her nose, and noticing Karai staring at her, smiled a little, looking a little uncomfortable at the intense scrutiny she was being held under.

"What?" April whispered, making a face. "Do I have something on my face?"

Their teacher at the front of the room heard her and cleared her throat. "Miss O'Neil, do you have something to share with the class?"

April's cheeks flushed bright red, and she sunk down in her chair. "No," she said, and the teacher gave her a warning look before carrying on with her lecture. Karai smirked lightly, and April gave her a mock-glare, trying to go back to her textbook.

Karai sighed, staring down at her own open textbook in front of her. She was due to report to her father tonight. Hopefully she could figure out what she was supposed to do before then. She was lost in her thoughts for the rest of class, jumping when the bell rang. She started shoving her books in her backpack, raising an eyebrow when April cleared her throat.

She glanced over. April looked nervous, curling a piece of hair around her finger. She bit her lip and met Karai's gaze hopefully. Distrust flared in the back of Karai's brain.

"What is it?" Karai asked brusquely, turning back to packing up.

"I was wondering if you wanted to spend the night at my house tomorrow," April blurt out, and Karai blinked. That wasn't what she was expecting.

"I - what?" Karai said dumbly, brain hastily trying to restart itself.

April's cheeks turned a little red, and she shuffled her feet. "You don't have to say yes or anything, but-"

"Wait," Karai said, brain just now processing what April asked. She held up a hand, eyes wide in disbelief. "Did you just ask me to have a sleepover!?"

April pursed her lips and couldn't help but giggle, shoulders relaxing. "I guess," she said. "My aunt's going out of town for the weekend for her job, so I figured I'd ask." She made a face. "Unless your dad's the type of guy who has to meet the other parent first before letting his kid go to their house or something like that."

Karai snorted. "Yeah, my father's not like that at all. But I suppose I can ask him tonight..." She couldn't even imagine what reaction her father, the big bad Shredder, would have to her asking his permission to have a girly, Ninjutsu-free, little sleepover with her friend from school. He'd probably throw her out a window or something.

April wrinkled up her nose, watching the conflicting emotions flit over Karai's face, and gave her a grin. "Fine. Ask him tonight then, and let me know tomorrow! I can give you my address if he says it's okay." She slung her backpack on her shoulder. "If he's worried about my aunt not being there, tell him we'll probably just get take-out and do typical sleepover things. You know." She waved and walked out of the classroom.

"Yeah," Karai echoed, watching April go. "Typical sleepover things." _What the hell am I supposed to do at a sleepover?_ Karai thought to herself.

* * *

Later that night, Karai knelt in her father's throne room. She had a plan to just make it out alive, and she prayed to whoever was listening that it would work.

"Karai," her father boomed, and Karai felt her gut twist uncomfortably. She kept her head down, not daring to meet his eyes yet. "What do you have to report?"

Karai took a deep breath and looked up, meeting his gaze in the dark. "I have nothing," she said, flinching back when he roared.

"What do you mean by nothing?" he boomed, and she ducked her head, hands tightening on the ground in front of her. "You have been on this mission for several weeks. I expect better out of you." he sneered. "You disappoint me, Karai."

"I wasn't finished," she snapped, and held her breath when she realized just how cold it was in the throne room and just how quiet her father had grown. He regarded her with cold eyes, and she hastily continued before he changed his mind and threatened to throw her in the dungeon or something. "I have nothing concrete to report. Yet. I met a girl who has let slip several strange things that make me believe she is an ally to the turtles, but I have not confirmed it yet. She shows signs of having basic training and discusses what sounds to be several inhuman friends."

"What is stopping you from finishing your mission?" her father said, a note of malice in his voice. "Is it sentiment?" he sneered. "What is this girl's name? I will talk to her myself."

"Of course not," Karai snapped, feeling an odd thrill of fear at his threat. "She is just a pawn in the turtles' game. I feel nothing for her."

Her father regarded her coolly. "Do not disappoint me, Karai," he warned. "You will have failed me for the last time if you do."

Karai clenched her jaw and turned her head away, blinking back hot tears. "She invited me to a sleepover tomorrow, Father," she said through gritted teeth. "I believe that if I go, I will find concrete evidence of her involvement with them."

Her father laughed, but it was a cold sound. "A sleepover? You are getting soft." The word sounded strange coming out of his mouth. He waved a hand to dismiss her, and she stood up, hands clenched in fists at her side. "You will go to this girl's house, and as soon as you find the truth, you will bring her to me. Is that understood?"

Karai nodded, jaw clenched so tightly shut she didn't know if she could respond without letting the truth spill out of her. She bowed, low enough to not seem disrespectful, and turned to stalk out of the throne room. She felt her father's eyes follow her long after the doors shut behind her and didn't feel safe until she was in her quarters, door locked tightly shut behind her. She sat on the edge of her bed, burying her head in her hands. Well, that didn't work. What was she supposed to do now?

* * *

 **Karai has so much to lose now that you just can't help but feel bad for her. R &R!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Remember, bold is meant to represent a text, italics are thoughts. Just a reminder so nobody gets confused.**

 **Enjoy.**

* * *

Karai went to school the next day with bloodshot eyes. She hadn't gotten any sleep after her report to her father. How could she? She'd practically signed April's death sentence herself, and she wouldn't even be able to tell her what was coming. There'd be nothing she could do to stop it.

She sighed, resting her chin in her hands. It was still early. Only two other boys were sitting in homeroom with her. April probably wouldn't even get there until after the bell rang.

 _April._

Karai snorted, still unsure why she cared so much about her. Was it a crush? She made a face, mentally groaning. She didn't have time for this.

The door opened, and April of all people walked in. Karai stiffened, sitting up in her desk. April beamed at her and slid into her own chair.

"Well?" she asked, grin so wide it looked like her face would split.

"Well what?" Karai said, eyebrow raised.

April made a face. "Well, what did your dad say about you coming over? Is he going to let you?"

"Oh, that," Karai said. She shook her head, trying to focus her thoughts. "Yeah. He was... excited when I told him about it. It wouldn't surprise me if he wanted to meet you soon."

April's eyes lit up. "Great!" She pulled out her phone from her pocket and slid it in front of Karai. "Here, put your number in, and I'll send you my address."

Karai looked at her for a moment and pulled out her own phone, sliding it over. Her phone was more for far away missions and reporting than pleasure. She hoped April wouldn't open up her camera roll. They exchanged numbers, and Karai all but snatched back her phone, feeling a little uneasy when it wasn't in her possession.

Her phone dinged, and she looked down. April had sent her address. It buzzed again, and this time it said:

 **:)**

Karai looked up, and April was giving her the same grin as on her phone, still hunched over hers.

"Is your phone a turtle shell?" Karai asked, looking at her with raised eyebrows.

April flushed, grabbing it and shoving it back into her pocket. "A friend made it for me," she said, lowering her gaze.

Karai snorted. "A friend. Right." _Great, it is the turtles..._ she thought to herself, and all of her resigned guilt came rushing back.

The rest of the day passed by in a blur. April didn't seem to notice much was off, because she spent the day chattering even more excitedly than normal, preparing for their plans. But contrary to popular belief, April did notice, and it made her gut stir nervously.

 _What if she really doesn't want to come over?_ April thought, trying to watch Karai out of the corner of her eye. _I don't want to do anything she doesn't want to do._ Donnie had invited her over to hang out that night, but she'd turned him politely down for Karai. If Karai cancelled on her, maybe Donnie would still be down to hang out? Karai was staring absently at the wall, fingers tapping out some unknown pattern on her desk.

April sighed and glanced at the clock. School was almost over. She started shoving her books in her bag, and the bell rang.

Karai blinked, startled. "Is class over?" she asked, hastily shoving her things in her own bag.

April stood up and pulled her backpack on over her shoulder. "Karai, school is over. That was the final bell," she said, a little bit exasperated.

"Oh," Karai said, looking startled. She stood up and slung her own backpack on. "I didn't even realize," she said, and she sounded so distracted that April couldn't help but feel some of her anger drift away.

"You know, if you don't wanna come over tonight, you really don't have to," she said slowly, and Karai blinked, looking at her like she was crazy.

"What?" Karai said, wrinkling up her nose. "What makes you think that?"

"Well, you just seem kinda distracted," April said, feeling her cheeks start to heat up. "We can reschedule if you want-"

"No!" Karai burst out, and April looked at her, surprised. "I mean, no, I just got into an argument with my father last night. It has nothing to do with you." There was something she wasn't sharing, and April narrowed her eyes. "But I'm really looking forward to it tonight," Karai added, almost a little shyly, and April forgot about the unnerving feeling she was getting.

"Great!" April blushed a little, too, and ducked her gaze from Karai's. She peeked up underneath her eyelashes to look at Karai, whose cheeks were also a little flushed. "Text me tonight when you're on your way, and I'll get dinner!"

"Do I need to bring anything?" Karai asked, trying to gather her feelings under control. Her internet research on what exactly goes down at sleepovers (and man, did that make her sound like a naive little girl rather than the kunoichi she'd trained to be) gave her a decent rundown of what she was supposed to expect. Apparently she was supposed to bring snacks.

"Nah," April said, waving a hand dismissively, "not unless you want to." She hesitated, opened her mouth to say something else, and was interrupted.

Someone cleared their throat, and both girls turned to the front of the room to see their English teacher standing at her desk, looking a little amused. "Sorry girls, but I have to go sit in on detention this afternoon, and I have to lock the door behind me. So if you don't mind..." She waggled her keys at them.

April got the hint, and she turned to walk out of the classroom. Karai followed.

"So," April said, turning to look at Karai, "I'll see you tonight?" Karai nodded. April smiled at her and headed off, backpack hitched up high on her shoulders. Karai watched her go, and decided to head to the nearest coffee shop to bide the time until it was socially acceptable for her to shop up on April's doorstep. She really, _really_ didn't want to go home.

* * *

Karai ended up having to run home anyway, to go grab her duffle bag of pajamas and clothes for the next day (and of course, extra outfits because who knew what all exactly they'd get into that night). And then, standing in the doorway of her closet, she hesitated, some funny feeling in the pit of her stomach telling her she needed her weapons, so she ended up shoving in her Tessan and a couple of extra knives into the bottom of the bag. You know, it's always better to be overly prepared.

She ended up walking to April's, even though it was on the other side of town from her apartments. It was a lot closer to her father's headquarters than she realized, and she ducked her head and went the long way around to even avoid going near the building. Her father had some sort of sixth sense about where she was most of the time, and she didn't want to risk being caught in her school clothes and not-quite full set of armor. She'd never hear the end of it, and she was still pretty beat up from her other encounter with him (not that she was complaining or anything, she'd had far worse in the past).

Karai walked up to the apartment door and pulled out her phone.

 **Here.** She shoved her hands in her pockets and stood awkwardly on the doorstep. It was kinda weird not having a doorman; her apartment had one, even though her father had bought out the whole building when they first moved to America.

Her phone buzzed again, and she pulled it out. **I just buzzed you in!** April's text read. **I'll come get you.**

Karai let herself in and sat down on one of the chairs in the lobby, resting her duffle at her feet. She drummed her fingers on her leg absently, feeling the normal edge of anticipation rise up inside.

 _It's just April_ , she thought to herself. _I've been in far worse situations. Battles, even. This is just a sleepover!_

Oh, who was she kidding? This was way out of her pay grade.

"Hey!" Karai looked up, and April stuck her head out the door leading to the stairways. "You made it! Come on, let's get this party started!"

Karai took a deep breath, picked up her duffle bag, and followed April, hoping her facial expressions wouldn't betray her for what she had to do.

* * *

 **Sleepover comes next chapter! I can't wait to write it, honestly. Be sure to R &R for a fast update! **


	10. Chapter 10

**Sleepover chapter! Finally! :D**

 **Just in case, TW for abuse in this chapter.**

 **Enjoy.**

* * *

"Are you hungry?" April said on the way up the stairs. "I just got back from the restaurant, so it should still be warm."

"Starving," Karai admitted. April grinned at her over her shoulder and led her to the front door to the apartment. April unlocked the door and stepped inside, and Karai followed.

It was smaller than she'd imagined, Karai noted. There was a tiny living room, filled with a massive couch and a TV. There was barely enough room to scoot out of the doorway. The kitchen was to the left, and something smelled delicious. A set of stairs was to the right, leading up to the second floor.

"Welcome to Casa de O'Neil," April said, waving her hand proudly. "Here's the grand tour. You're in the living room, the kitchen's right there, and my bedroom is upstairs."

"It's very... cozy," Karai said, and April beamed.

"I know! Isn't it great?" April shut and locked the door behind her. "If you want, you can go put your bag up in my room. I'll start getting dinner ready." April started heading to the kitchen, leaving Karai standing in the living room. "Just make yourself at home!" she called out as she disappeared from sight.

Karai sighed and started trudging up the stairs. There were two bedrooms at the top, and she stuck her head in one. It was incredibly formal, with the bed made, and she backtracked, heading to the other. She stuck her head inside and knew immediately this was April's room — painted bright yellow, with a stuffed turtle sitting on her unmade bed. She dropped her bags on the floor and headed back downstairs to the kitchen.

April was opening up take-out boxes on the counter, dumping the contents on a plate. She pushed a plate of dumplings towards Karai and then tossed her a pair of chopsticks.

"What is this?" Karai asked, pulling it towards her and picking up the chopsticks, snapping them deftly. She slid into a seat at the kitchen table.

April rolled her a water bottle and joined her. "It's called pizza gyoza," she said. "My friends told me about it."

Karai looked at her, then back at the plate with sudden apprehension. "Pizza?" she repeated, eyebrow raised.

April giggled. "I know, I know. Sounds weird, but it's way better than it sounds! Trust me."

Karai hesitated a moment, examining the plate closely. "I'll take your word for it," she said, and slowly bit into it. A delicious flavor absolutely flooded her mouth, and her eyes widened.

"Well?" April watched her reaction closely, chopsticks wavering in the air.

"It's good!" Karai said, geniuinely surprised. She wolfed down the rest of her bite, and April rolled her eyes.

"I told you," she teased. "Maybe you should listen to me more often."

Karai rolled her own eyes at that and speared another dumpling. "Hey," she said casually, "when I was upstairs, I think I went into someone else's bedroom first. Is that your aunt's?"

April's smile kinda wavered. "Yeah," she said, and she poked around on her plate.

Karai waited for more of an explanation, and when none came, gave her a side-eyed look. "Did I say something?"

April sighed and set down her chopsticks. "My mom died when I was little, so my dad raised me. But he went missing not too long ago, so my aunt's been staying with me ever since. She's a reporter, but she doesn't usually live in New York." She shrugged. "That's why she's gone this weekend; she went to go home and check up on things."

Karai was quiet for a moment. _Shit_ , she thought to herself, taking in April's downcast expression. _This is not how I wanted this night to go... I need info on the turtles, not her tragic backstory! Unless... his disappearance is related to those creepy alien things Leonardo and I ran into._ She cleared her throat. "Do the police have any leads?" she asked, mentally hitting herself when April's expression crumpled even more. Sympathy was NOT her thing.

"Not really, they just think he was in the wrong place at the wrong time." April rested her chin in her hand, and her lower lip started to wobble. Sirens screamed in Karai's head.

"I'm sorry?" Karai said slowly, trying to sound comforting but coming out more awkward than she intended. _Quick, distraction..._ "My mother died when I was a baby, too."

"Really?" April said, looking at her with mild interest. At least she no longer looked like she was about to cry, Karai noted sullenly.

She shrugged. "I have no memories of her. She was killed by an enemy of my father."

"Holy shit!" April said, eyes wide and straightening up. "That's crazy!"

Karai made a face. "That's part of the reason why we moved here," she said. "My father is on some crazy mission to take down the man who killed her."

April's eyes were the size of dinner plates, and she opened her mouth to ask something, but Karai held up a hand. "But can we not talk about it tonight?" she all but begged, and she hated to beg. It made her sound weak, but she really didn't want to think about her father at all.

April's expression cleared some, sympathy obviously alight in her eyes. She cleared her throat and pushed her plate away. "You wanna go watch a movie?"

"Perfect," Karai said, standing up, following her to the couch and silently thanking for that close call. Anything but more family talk. If that continued, she'd have to turn April in to her father for no other reason than to stop talking about it.

April flounced down, sprawling out a bit, and Karai sat down on the other side of the couch. She rested her hands in her laps, sitting stiffly with her back completely straight.

"Dude," April said, giving her a side-eyed glance as she waited for the TV to boot up. "You can relax, you know." Karai leaned back against the sofa, and April rolled her eyes. Hesitating, Karai tucked her feet under her, and April gave her a thumbs up. Netflix booted up, and April started scrolling. "What do you want to watch?" April asked. Karai watched rows and rows of colorful posters flick by, and didn't recognize a single one of them.

"I haven't watched much TV," Karai said, and April looked at her like she was crazy. "My father doesn't approve. He thinks it gets in the way of... school."

April wrinkled her nose. "You know, the more you talk about your dad, the more I don't think I wanna meet him."

Karai pursed her lips, not denying it. _Too bad he wants to meet you_ , she thought bitterly, watching softly as April grinned and pointed, laughing at something on the TV.

"Well?" April said, looking at her expectantly, and Karai blinked to focus.

"What?"

"Do you want to watch this?" April said patiently. Karai looked at the screen, at some cheesy animated TV show called _Space Heroes_. She looked at April with a raised eyebrow. "Hey, don't mock it. My friend absolutely loves this show."

"And you trust his judgment?" Karai said skeptically. April shrugged, and Karai sighed. "Why not?"

April grinned. "I'll go make popcorn." She got up and walked to the kitchen, leaving Karai to watch the opening title of the show.

It was cheesy, poorly animated, and totally predictable, and Karai absolutely loved it. But when April came back in and set a shared bowl of popcorn in her lap, looking at her with expectant eyes, Karai made a face.

April laughed. "It can't be that bad," she said, sitting back down and scooting closer to Karai to be able to grab popcorn. "Captain Ryan seems... enthusiastic."

"I suppose enthusiasm is one word for it," Karai said, popping a piece of popcorn in her mouth.

They binged it for hours, complete with April throwing popcorn at the TV and Karai doing her best impression of Captain Ryan at April's wheedling.

Karai _loved_ it. She felt normal, for a night at least. Being normal was never something she'd wanted before, never even considered, but sitting next to April, binge watching some stupid show, she grieved for the life she never got to have.

The credits scrolled across the screen, and April flicked off the TV with a yawn.

"Hey!" Karai said, sitting upright. April shifted her feet off of Karai's lap and stretched. "What are you doing?"

"Don't you wanna go change?" April said, standing up and popping her back. She yawned again. "I'm kinda getting tired."

Karai looked at the clock. It was only 2:34 — that wasn't _that_ late, but she was running out of time. "I suppose," she said, and she turned to follow April to her room.

Going up the stairs, she noticed a line of picture frames, most of April and a man Karai assumed to be her father, cheekily grinning. Gawky pictures of April as a kid, complete with braces and glasses, popped up every now and then, and she let out a snort.

April swatted at her without even bothering to turn back around. She headed in to her room and lowered the blinds. "Habit," she explained away dismissively when Karai gave her a look. "Don't want someone peeking in."

"Who's going to look in your window at the top of an apartment building?" Karai said with a snort, and April made a face.

"You'd be surprised," April muttered, opening the door to her closet.

 _Ugh, again with the turtles._ "So I'm curious," Karai said, sitting cross-legged on the floor by her duffle. April was digging around in her closet, out of sight. "Tell me about these friends of yours. You know, the one that made you your phone and introduce you to weird pizza flavored cuisine."

April was silent for a moment, and she stopped rummaging around. Karai wished she could see her face. "They're homeschooled," April said quietly, almost too quiet for Karai to hear her in the other room. "I didn't meet them that long ago, just kinda... ran into them on the streets, and we hit it off pretty quickly." She walked back out holding a pair of pajamas. "It's been nice having them around, especially with my father being gone and everything. It's like I just adopted a bunch of brothers or something."

Karai hummed a noise of affirmation, thinking, and April looked at her a little suspiciously.

"Why do you ask?" April asked, hands on her hips.

Karai's eyes widened imperceptibly. "You talk about them a lot," she said smoothly. "They seem like interesting people."

April's face split into a sheepish grin. "I guess so," she said, rubbing the back of her head awkwardly, messing up her ponytail. "That's why Irma and I are no longer friends. She didn't like me hanging out with her. Different worlds, I guess." April got kinda quiet and turned around to face the window.

She started stripping off her shirt, and Karai felt all the air immediately leave her chest. She dove into her own duffle bag, head down, trying to find her change of clothes.

Startled, April paused and turned her head. "What?"

"Nothing," Karai said, pulling out her clothes. "Just didn't expect you to change right there."

"Oh." April shrugged, tilting her head to the side. "You've seen me change in the locker room before," she reminded her.

"I'm aware," Karai said, a trace of annoyance in her voice.

"If you wanna go change in the bathroom you can," April said, turning back around. "I'm not looking. But now you owe me the answer to a nosy question."

Karai debated her choices for a moment. More subtle turtle interrogation, or wasting time in the bathroom. "Hit me with it," Karai said, and she turned her back to April's, taking off her own shirt to change.

"Tell me about that boy you liked," April said, a teasing expression in her voice, and Karai snorted. Of course April would ask her that.

"I think I'm past him now," she said, not even daring to let April know she knew the turtles too. "He had nice blue eyes."

"You already told me that," April whined, and then she gasped, growing quiet.

"What?" Karai whirled around, finishing tugging her shirt down over her head.

April was staring at her an abject horror, dirty clothes piled on the floor. "What happened to you?!" she asked with concern, and Karai mentally cursed, feeling her anger spike.

"I thought you said you weren't looking," she spit out, picking up the rest of her clothes and stomping to the bathroom. She slammed the door behind her and braced herself on the sink. Not good. April saw the bruises. They weren't even that bad; most were fading green and yellow by this point.

April banged on the door, having followed her out. "Karai, that looks bad. Did you go to the doctor? Who did that to you?"

"Forget about it," she hissed, and she quickly finished changing. She had to get out of here. April knew too much, and she felt the familiar rise of panic in her chest. How could she take her to her father now? What would he even do if he heard April confronting him about it?

April's voice was more subdued on the other side of the door. "Did your dad do that to you?" she asked quietly, and Karai's heart skipped a beat.

"Of course not. What makes you say that?" she asked quietly.

"Let's see, you're super defensive, you said something about you and your dad arguing last night, you favor your side a lot on gym class, and you also refuse to change in front of people," April rattled off quickly, and Karai blinked back the hot tears that quickly welled up in her eyes. April was more perceptive than she gave her credit for, Karai noted. She didn't know why she was going to cry; crying was weakness. She'd had worse before, honestly. She just felt... ashamed.

Clearing her throat, Karai opened the door and came nose to nose with April. Her blue eyes were wide with concern, and her hair was loose and out of the ponytail.

"Let's just forget this ever happened," Karai said, trying her best not to be distracted by the April's puppy-dog eyes and doing her best to sound imposing. The lighthearted tone of the night was gone.

"I'll beat your dad up for you," April vowed, narrowing her eyes. Karai laughed bitterly at that. One, she couldn't really take April seriously with her bright yellow pajamas. And two, April had no idea who her father really was. "I'm serious! Have you told anybody about this? Karai, he's abusing you!"

Abuse. Karai's mind short-circuited. This wasn't abuse. This was... well, she deserved it. She messed up, she failed her mission. It was training. But something niggled in the mind with that word, and Karai sighed, pushing past her into the bedroom and throwing her things back on her duffle.

"No," she said finally, and April looked like she was making a rapid fire decision in her mind. She tapped her phone in her hand absently.

April nodded once, and immediately turned to grab her backpack. "Come on," she said. "We're leaving."

Karai couldn't believe her ears. "Leaving?!" she repeated. "To go where? It's after midnight!"

April's jaw was set. "I think it's time for you to meet my friends."

* * *

 **Well, well. Looks like Karai's about to get what she wanted.**

 **PLEASE R &R! **


	11. Chapter 11

**Here's another chapter you all have been waiting for! Remember, bold is to represent text messages. My two reviewers - this one is for you! You know who you are! :)**

 **Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

 _April nodded once, and immediately turned to grab her backpack. "Come on," she said. "We're leaving."_

 _Karai couldn't believe her ears. "Leaving?!" she repeated. "To go where? It's after midnight!"_

 _April's jaw was set. "I think it's time for you to meet my friends."_

* * *

"Tell me about that boy you liked," April teased, back to Karai, dying to know a little bit more about her friend. Karai snorted from behind her, and there was the sound of rustling clothes.

"I think I'm past him now," Karai said, a little distantly. "He had nice blue eyes."

April rolled her eyes and finished tugging down her shirt. "You already told me that," she whined and turned around. She couldn't help but gasp. Karai was changing too, and although her sports bra covered most of her side, her skin was littered with green and yellow bruises. There was a dark handprint in the middle of her back, and what looked like knife slices on her shoulder.

At the sound of gasp, Karai stiffened and finished pulling on her shirt, covering the bruises. "What?" she whirled around, already on the defensive.

April knew she was staring at her an abject horror, but she couldn't bring herself to stop. "What happened to you?!" she asked with concern, and Karai's scowl grew.

"I thought you said you weren't looking," she spat, picking up the rest of her clothes and stomping to the bathroom. She slammed the door behind her and left April frozen in her bedroom.

 _Holy shit_ , April thought to herself. _Someone did that to her!_ she felt her stomach drop out, like she was going to be sick.

She followed Karai and banged on the bathroom door. "Karai, that looks bad. Did you go to the doctor? Who did that to you?"

There was a long silence on the other side of the door, and April hurriedly pulled out her phone to text Leo.

 **HELP. I think one of my friends is being abused. I don't know what to do!** she sent off to Leo.

"Forget about it," Karai hissed. April felt like she was going to throw up.

She tried to make her voice as calm as possible. "Did your dad do that to you?" she asked quietly. Karai was silent on the other side of the door.

"Of course not," Karai finally said. "What makes you say that?" She sounded resolved and defeated, and April's concern only grew. She knew her suspicions were correct about Karai's dad.

 **Leo, I can't let her go home. Please help!**

"Let's see, you're super defensive, you said something about you and your dad arguing last night, you favor your side a lot on gym class, and you also refuse to change in front of people," April rattled off quickly, silently begging for Leo to respond. Karai was silent on the other side of the door.

 **April, are you sure?** Leo sent back. **That's a serious accusation to make.**

 **I saw her bruises** , she sent. Leo did not send an immediate text back, and she sighed.

Karai opened the door and came out, clearing her throat. Her eyes roamed over April's face, and she looked... scared.

"Let's just forget this ever happened," Karai said.

"I'll beat your dad up for you," April vowed, narrowing her eyes. Karai laughed bitterly at that. "I'm serious! Have you told anybody about this? Karai, he's abusing you!"

Karai's eyes widened, and she sighed, pushing past April to go into the bedroom. She threw her things back on her duffle and stood there, looking a little lost.

"No," she said finally, and April's mind raced. Her phone buzzed, and she looked at it quickly.

 **You can bring her here** , Leo said finally. **But she cant say anything about us. Do you trust her?**

April tapped her phone in her hand absently. She looked at Karai. Maybe they weren't friends at the start, and maybe they hadn't even been friends for super long, but there was absolutely no way April could stand by and just let her continue to live like this.

 **Yes** , she replied to Leo, and she knew exactly what to do.

She nodded once, and immediately turned to grab her backpack. "Come on," she said over her shoulder to Karai. "We're leaving."

"Leaving?!" Karai repeated scornfully. "To go where? It's after midnight!"

April set her jaw, hoping this wasn't going to be an awful idea. "I think it's time for you to meet my friends."

Karai blinked at her, eyes wide. "Your homeschooled friends?" she asked, sounding incredulous. First, she couldn't believe that that is all it took to get April to reveal the truth. But second, she really didn't want to meet the turtles. All her mission entailed was information — not face to face interaction. She assumed they didn't know who she was, and when they did see her, it would not end well. But when did she ever run from a fight? "Why now, at 3:15 in the morning?"

April met her gaze evenly. "I think they can help you," she said earnestly, and Karai groaned internally. This was not going to go well.

"They can't," she assured her. "Believe me. It is not a good idea for me to meet your friends." Especially because once she turned in her visible proof, it would ruin her friendship with April for good.

April narrowed her eyes and stubbornly stuck out her chin. "You can't win on this one," she said, pointing at her bag. "Grab your things. I'll be downstairs." She trotted off, leaving Karai standing dumbfounded in her room.

Karai knelt next to her bag and pulled out her tessan, shoving it in the back of her pajama pants. It was a good thing she'd packed these extra weapons. She'd need them for walking literally into the heart of enemy territory. She strapped some of her extra knives to her legs and threw everything else in the bag. Hesitating, she pulled out her phone and gently tucked it into April's bookshelf. When she didn't report back tomorrow, her father would come after her. It's the least she could do for April.

And if the turtles really could help her...

Karai shook her head, banishing that thought from her mind. She didn't even need to consider that. The turtles were her enemies. And technically, so was April. She needed to tread lightly.

"Karai!" April called out, a note of impatience in her voice.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming," Karai called back, standing up and throwing the bag over her shoulder. With one final reassuring pat to her Tessan, she headed down the stairs.

* * *

"Where are we going?" Karai finally asked April. She felt like they'd been walking forever, and they looked like they were in Chinatown now. Going by rooftop was _so_ much faster. If she made it out of this in one piece, she was going to teach April how to roof-jump.

"We're almost there," April said quietly. She was on high alert the entire walk over, looking out for the Purple Dragon gang, or so she claimed. Karai was mildly amused that April didn't realize Karai herself was scarier than any of those weak Purple Dragons were. "Here," she grabbed Karai's arm and tugged her into a seemingly random, dark alley.

"Uh, your friends live here?" Karai asked, unimpressed. The scent of the sewer reeked even worse than usual from where they were standing. She and her father had known the turtles lived in the sewers, but they'd never been successful in finding exactly where.

"Look," April said, still loosely holding on to Karai's wrist. Karai fought the urge to brush it off. "My friends are a little... unorthodox. They won't hurt you, but you have to _promise_ me you'll never tell anyone about them. Okay?"

Karai hesitated. She could see how sincere April was; it glinted in her eyes. But on the other hand, she had to do her duty to the Foot clan - and her father more importantly.

"Okay," Karai said finally, and she couldn't tell whether she was lying or not.

April nodded and took a deep breath. She dropped her bags on the ground and hoisted up the manhole cover. Karai watched, a little impressed. Who knew this scrawny girl with obviously no weight training would have the strength to lift this?

"Hop down," April said, jutting her chin towards the hole. Karai gave her a look that screamed _do I have to?_ , and April raised her eyebrows. Karai sighed and deftly jumped down, landing in something damp and squishy she prayed wasn't what she thought it was. She kept her bag firmly up by her shoulders so she wouldn't dare accidentally touch it to the ground.

"This is disgusting," Karai sneered to April as she jumped down, landing next to her. The manhole cover was slid back into place, and April's blue eyes flashed.

"Tell me about it," she said, splashing muck all over Karai's pajama pants as she started to slosh forward. "You never really get used to it."

They sloshed through the sewers in silence, a sharp twist in Karai's gut as they got closer and closer. As a faint light shone ahead, Karai's heart leaped into her throat, and she grabbed April's arm, yanking her to a stop.

"April," she said, voice catching embarrassingly in her throat. April blinked at her, confused. "I don't think I-"

"April? Is this your friend?"

Karai stiffened and turned around to face the turtle who came to meet them. He was hidden in the darkness, wary of the newcomer, but she'd recognize those blue eyes anywhere. He recognized her, too, and immediately swung out his katana defensively, spraying her and April with mud.

"Karai!" he spat. "What are you doing here? April, how could you?" He looked at April, betrayed, and she swung her head back and forth, widely confused.

"Leonardo," Karai said as evenly as possible, hand creeping off April's and towards the Tessan tucked in her pants.

"Wait, you know each other?!" April's voice grew louder and louder.

"She's the enemy, April! I can't believe you led her to our lair!" Leonardo looked like he didn't know whether to cry or attack, nothing like the shy boy Karai had been toying with on the rooftops.

April seemed to process this, and to Leonardo, unsuccessfully whispered, "... this is the girl you were telling me about? Seriously?"

Karai's fingers froze in reaching for her Tessan. "Whoa, you were talking about me!?"

"April, she's Shredder's DAUGHTER!" Leonardo cried, and there was the sound of other people running towards them.

"You tricked me!" April turned on her, arms waving. "You befriended me solely to get to my friends! Your dad is The _Shredder_?!"

"No, April, it didn't start out that way, believe me-" Karai said, but April cut her off.

"I can't believe you!" April cried, looking at Karai with betrayal.

The other turtles ran up, and half of them were looking at her with confusion. The red one - Raphael - glared, however and unsheathed his Sai, standing next to Leonardo.

"I told you she was bad news!" Raphael snapped. Leonardo firmly ignored him, and the other two exchanged confused looks.

"Uh, guys," Michelangelo said, "someone wanna let a guy know what's going on?"

"Leo's girlfriend here is a member of the Foot clan," Raphael snarled. "And Donnie's girlfriend is the one who brought her here!"

"That's not how it happened at all," April tried to say, but she got cut off.

"Wait, you have a girlfriend?" Michelangelo said. "Dude!"

"I'm not his girlfriend," Karai snapped, but nobody listened to her.

"I can't believe you didn't tell us about her!" Donatello said, casting a hurt and angry glare at Leonardo. "If she's a threat, Mikey and I have just as much of a right to know about her!"

"Hey! I'm standing right here!" Karai snapped.

"Leo didn't think you could handle it," Raphael sneered, and Donatello's eyes narrowed even more. He crossed his arms, glaring.

"Mikey, go get Sensei," Donnie said, turning to his brother. "I'm sure he'll know what to do. April, I can't believe you did this to us!" Michelangelo turned and bolted off, leaving the others in the dust.

"I didn't know!" April said, hands covering her mouth. She looked horrified. "Believe me! I never would have even mentioned it!"

Raphael made to lunge forward and attack, and Leonardo grabbed his arm and yanked him back. Stiffening, Karai saw the attack and finally pulled out the Tessan, ready to defend herself.

Raphael snorted. "See? If she was honestly here for help she wouldn't have brought her weapons!"

Michelangelo came running back and skidded to a stop next to Donatello. Panting, he pulled out his nunchucks and readied himself in a defensive position.

"Splinter's coming," he made out, slightly wheezing as he leaned forward on his thighs.

"Oh, get ready, Fearless," Raphael sneered. "Splinter's gonna kill you."

Karai turned her head and felt her eyes grow wide as a giant mutant rat came out of the shadows next. This was Hamato Yoshi? This is the man that killed her mother? The man her father was so desperate to find? Huh. She didn't think he was going to be a mutant rat.

His expression was hard, and his ears were pressed flat against his head. But when he looked at her face, his eyes widened, and his tail twitched. She swallowed and raised her Tessan closer to her face. She could probably take on the turtles, sure, but she wasn't so sure about him.

"Miwa?" he said, breaking her momentary concentration, and the turtles gasped. Even April turned to her, looking startled.

Karai blinked. Why were they all staring at her?

"Who?"

* * *

 **Karai's not really the fainting type, so I didn't make her pass out like I wanted to, but I think anybody would get a little lightheaded at this showdown. R &R!**


End file.
